International flights resumed at Damascus airport on Tuesday for the first time since the fall of ousted President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

A Syrian Airways plane took off from the Damascus runway at around  for Sharjah airport in the United Arab Emirates, the first international commercial flight since the fall of Assad, AFP reported.

The first plane is expected to arrive in Syria at noon from Qatar, airport official Saad Khair Baik said earlier.

“The rehabilitation of the airport was completed yesterday,” he told DPA: “The rehabilitation of the airport, which was looted on the day of the fall of the regime, was completed yesterday.”

On December 18, a plane took off from Damascus airport for Aleppo (north), the first flight since the fall of Assad on December 8.

On December 23, the Damascus airport administration announced the suspension of flights until January 1, 2025, except for those that receive special permission from the Civil Aviation Authority.